Motor vehicles are known, in particular passenger vehicles, in the case of which a pair of rails for accommodating a container, an armrest or the like, is arranged in the passenger compartment. The rails, which are arranged parallel to one another, are in one example, arranged between the driver's seat and the front passenger's seat, so that the functional element can be accessed from both seats. After overriding a frictional connection with respect to the two rails, the functional element can be displaced forwards or backwards because of the guide by means of the two rails in the passenger compartment, so that it can be displaced into an ergonomically favorable position to the vehicle passengers of the front seats or so that it can be displaced backwards, from the area between the front seats. In addition, provision can be made for means for locking functional element and rails, so as to be able to position the functional element so as not to be capable of being displaced with respect to the pair of rails. After unlocking these means, the displacement of the functional element is then possible.
The support for a functional element in the form of a container, an armrest or the like in a pair of rails within a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle is known from EP 2 093 107 A1. The two rails of the pair of rails encompass guide grooves on sides, which face one another. Axially displaceable, bolt-like guide elements are supported in a housing of the functional element, on the side thereof, which faces the respective rail. The respective bolt encompasses a projection, which faces the rail assigned to the bolt. The respective guide groove has a cross section, which expands from the groove base. The respective projection encompasses a cross section, which expands accordingly towards the housing of the functional element. A spring acts on the guide element and pretensions the projection thereof against the guide groove. The guide element can be moved from the position, which causes the frictional connection, with respect to the guide groove by means of an actuator, which is supported in the housing, opposite to the force of a spring.
In the case of this known support, the displacement axis of the respective guide element is arranged horizontally, thus vertically to the groove base, so that the upper arm extending from the groove base of the respective guide groove as well as the lower arm extending from the groove base are arranged diagonally to the horizontal. The lower arm of the respective guide groove, which is arranged diagonally to the horizontal, has the effect that the projection of the bolt-like guide element is accordingly arranged in its lower area at a diagonal to the horizontal. Due to this conical shape of the projection and the angle, which differs to the horizontal, forces in axial direction of the bolt-like guide element are introduced into the latter due to the dead weight of the functional element in the form of the container, the armrest or the like, by loading the container, by supporting a passenger of the vehicle on the container or the armrest, respectively. These forces are effective opposite to the force of the spring, which presses the guide element into the guide groove. These forces can accordingly reduce the frictional forces between guide groove and guide element or can even lead to an unlocking of the respective guide element, respectively, when the guide element is locked with the rail.
To avoid that the frictional connection is overridden or that the unlocking of the system takes place unintentionally by introducing a force in axial direction of the spring, they must be embodied so as to be reinforced. The force for actuating an actuator, which forms a part of an unlocking mechanism, however, is increased through this and the comfort for operating the unlocking mechanism is impaired through this.
In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.